RANDOM PHOTO - THE FAMOUS 1932 STUDEBAKER ON RT. 66 - AUGUST 2013 - ARIZONA

 on Rt. 66 inside The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Rt. 66 is also called 'The Mother Road', so called because author John Steinbeck coined the term in his 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, to describe its role as the primary, nurturing lifeline for hundreds of thousands of migrant families fleeing the Dust Bowl for California during the 1930s, when over 200,000 people used this specific route to escape the environmental and economic devastation in the Great Plains. It served as a maternal path of refuge and opportunity for those displaced by the Depression.

I remember seeing this old car like it was yesterday. We were on a roadtrip from the East to West Coast. I have shared it several times but enjoy revisiting favorites, this being one of them. 

The car is a famous abandoned 1932 Studebaker located on the original alignment of Route 66, within The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It actually was donated as an art piece to the National Park Service by Frank and Rhonda Dobell. It serves to mark the path of the historic “Mother Road” as it once cut through this section of The Painted Desert. The park is the only national Park that preserves a section of the historic Route 66. Despite its appearance, the car was intentionally placed there and has spent a significant amount of time exposed to the elements as a permanent exhibit.  

I read all my information online, and also finally finding out a whole lot more about that old car I took photos of all those years ago. There is an over-abundance of historical information out there. I have also added a few links above in case you want to see more.  

Thanks for looking and 

may your day be a great one.

THE FAMILY SPENT A DAY IN NEW YORK ON MONDAY, APRIL 21ST, 2025 - PART 2

Everyone wanted to try a New York Pizza. Son had either been here before or had heard about its excellent reputation, so this was one of their first stops. By all reports it was excellent.

Our niece found 'The Rock' and had her picture taken with him (outside Madame Tussauds as you can see - they did not go inside but were glad for the photo op).

On a more somber note, everyone wanted to pay their respects at The 9/11 Memorial. 

They all found it very moving.

From this very sacred place they headed to The Empire State Building.

This level was not far below the observation deck with the family looking at the New York skyscrapers far below. Our niece is center and her partner is to her left with his daughter walking towards them also on the left.

Her cousin took this photo of our dear niece.  I wondered who on earth was brave enough to clean the outside of all those windows! 

I found this very famous photo from 1932 showing men eating their lunch - which I have seen several times over the years...

but I have never once seen a photo of the man who took their photo. Another brave man with a great head for heights. I love those shoes!

Son took a selfie with the city far below.

There is a King Kong exhibit here, which they visited, depicting the scene when King Kong climbs the Empire State Building from the old 1933 movie. The photo below is one I found online. Our son told us that this famous primate moves from window to window, not the hands obviously but it all looks effective.

Son had a good time being goofy... 

and enjoying time with his new friend King Kong.

The next photo shows a shot of the top of the building taken by son again. This was from the observation deck I believe...

and one of son at the top and outside.

More views of all those skyscrapers.

By this time it was decided to make their way back to the car, as they still had a bit of a walk to get there. They arrived home not too long before midnight, thoroughly tired but very happy at all they had seen that day. We heard all about it the next day, and it was a lot of fun listening to them.

I have other photos to share from our family's visit and will put them on here as I get them put together. They were in NYC on the Monday and were leaving for home the following Friday. We let them set their own pace for the rest of the week.

I hope you have enjoyed your quick trip into New York City. 

Thanks for visiting and have a great day.

THE FAMILY SPENT A DAY IN NEW YORK ON MONDAY, APRIL 21ST, 2025 - PART 1

Before we went down to North Carolina, we were all together chatting, and our visiting family wondered how far it was to New York City. Son was right on that, did they want to go? They were hesitant at first but as our one-and-only loves New York and has been there a few times, the last being a couple of months previously with our dear daughter-in-law, he assured them he would love to take them, that it was quite doable to drive there and back in one day. The only decision to be made was which day he could take them, and after checking his schedule, it was eventually decided they would go on the Monday after we got back from North Carolina.

They would have to leave very early in the morning and would get back late at night. Son also loves driving - it was settled. Having just gotten back from down south a couple of days previously, they set off not too long after 6.00 a.m. It was between 4-1/2 and 5 hours to get there, and the traffic as it turned out, was lighter than usual. (The older folks stayed home.)

(view of the statue of Liberty on the upper left of the photo)

We are all connected on GPS so we were able to check in during the day. I got the map above off my phone and it was fun following along off and on. 

(Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge)

Son found a parking lot in downtown for $40 a day, which put them right in the center of things for walking around. He reserved the spot beforehand online after doing a search for parking areas. They were originally going to park in New Jersey and catch a ferry across, but this worked out much better.

A mural on a wall in Chinatown.

I did a double take looking at this photo he shared. There are figures climbing across and up one side. He didn't know anything about these sculptures, so I went on a search and found that they are named 'Dreams of Hyperion' (a nod to Keats' poem) and were created by artist Bruce Williams. 

The building was built in 1893 and is located at 24 Bond, a landmarked building in the Noho neighborhood. The artist has lived there since 1997. The sculptures are made of paper mâché and wire, with a faux-gold finish. Another snippet I learned was that the mother of actor Robert deNiro once owned the building, which now hosts the thriving off-Broadway Gene Frankel Theater on the ground floor. I have no idea if that is connected in some way.

He noticed the mural of Pope Francis on the wall, but did not notice the couple below. The lady's hands were held in prayer. This was the day that sadly the Pope passed away.

The following photo shows the Manhattan Bridge Arch and the Colonnade. It is the entrance to Chinatown and Little Italy.

I am not sure what their timeline was on visiting places but next I am sharing photos when they were in Time Square, and here's our son on the Red Steps.

I have to say I never knew about the Red Steps, and when I asked Gregg if he did, he had never heard of them either. According to Google, "The Red Steps in Time Square are a prominent feature that serves as the Theatre Development Fund's (TDF) reduced-priced and observation point. Located in Father Duffy Square, the steps are a ruby-red, bleacher-like structure that allows visitors to rest and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Times Square without missing out on the action. Wikipedia states that the Red Steps are an internationally known landmark and a cultural hub for the city, with an average of 5,000 people posting photos of themselves there daily."

The cousins take a turn. This is most definitely a high up on the list favorite photo of mine.

One last photo from Time Square.

I still have a few more photos to share tomorrow but it's once again getting late and my inner battery is running out. I will be sharing two more places and that will be it for New York.

Have a great day everyone and 

thank you for stopping by.

A TRIP DOWN TO NORTH CAROLINA - PART 4 - WRIGHT BROTHERS MEMORIAL AND DUCK

 One last photo of the sunrise taken by family. This one I didn't share in my other post but I think you will enjoy it. I am not sure which one of our family photographers took it.

One day we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial, link here. 

I parked myself on a bench while family enjoyed looking around and I took photos of dogs. They occupied my time beautifully (I have been to this memorial many times over the years. We lived three hours away for quite a long time and we took all our visitors). Though I didn't do much while here this time, these beautiful pups kept me happy.

I had quite a few people chatting to me as I sat there. One person I met was a very nice lady who had her adorable four-legged friend with her, and he was very curious about me (not in these photos). She was concerned and tried to gently pull him away, but I assured her he was no bother at all and that I was enjoying him. True!

Showing a little relief she told me how happy she was that this was such a dog-friendly state. She was visiting from Pennsylvania and she had met many nice people who welcomed her pup. I was happy to hear that. We saw a lot of dogs on our travels, and there were many at the memorial.

Gregg later joined me and showed me this photo, a likeness of the Wright brothers...

but these were about all we took between the two of us. We knew a family album would be up online sometime, and I will be able to share more later.

Another place we visited, not on the same day as the memorial, was a town called Duck (maps below with names in white, corresponding to the area where these places are located). 

A timeline of its history can be found at this link. It is a charming little town and has a long boardwalk overlooking the Currituck Sound. After pointing the family in the right direction, Gregg and I found yet another place to enjoy, right next to Duck's Cottage Coffee and Books, which I remembered from our many visits previously. They have seats on the side of the building next to a small pond. It's a pleasant, fun little shop that also sells pastries, muffins, biscotti and others. Traditional coffee is served but you can also choose house lattes with names like Nutty Duck, Mucky Duck and Swan Other, with customer favorites of the Purple Martin, Ruddy Duck, Peep in a Cup and the CocoDuck. I only just found this out at their website and thought the names an absolute hoot.

We were spotted...

and dear sweetie was also, as our dueling photos show.

Below is the water tower which is a well known sight. Its original tower was built in 1963 and was demolished in 2020. That one was a 200,000-gallon steel water tower. A new, larger 400,000-gallon water tower, (160 feet high) was constructed in its place and began serving the community in June 2020.

And there you go, that's more information that I've learned about any other water tower ever, says I with a smile! I can highly recommend browsing around Duck if you are ever in the area.

The day is getting short, I have a few things to do around here, so I will finish my latest post. More coming!

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your day is a great one.